If there was one thing Evren could give Shamwari, it’s that his temper was an equal match for hers. Cold waves of rage continued to wash over her, and began to ignite into something hotter and more volatile with every word that left his lips. Yet her fury battled with her exhaustion, and she could feel her body trembling as she stared him down and attempted to keep her expression as collected as possible. Initially she had been acutely aware of their proximity to Persephone and had tried to keep her voice down. Persephone’s words had rung in her mind: Be careful, Evren – we need our allies at times like these.
Evren managed to hold her composure until Shamwari dropped Cullen’s name; then the stiffness of her expression crumbled into bewilderment. She thought back to several months ago when Cullen had raided their shores. Evren had fully expected to see him again, yet he had stayed away. Was that really all Shamwari’s doing?
As Shamwari continued to berate her, her face grew hot and her heart began to pound. Each time he called her a child chipped away at her self-righteousness until she could feel herself beginning to lose control, as she always seemed to do around Shamwari (in both good ways and bad), but not in the usual way: in her exhaustion, she could feel her throat tightening and her eyes stinging with unshed tears of shame and frustration. As Shamwari turned his back on her, she felt something within herself break, and her tears began to flow. “Fine! Get the fuck out!” she screamed after him, her voice shrill and unrestrained.
She turned away to face the steel-grey swell of the ocean and began to sob.
9; mutt; bay tobiano; 15.3hh |
